Culture – Progress Nothing Lesshttp://progressnothingless.com
Your time is now!Tue, 26 Sep 2017 21:15:14 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.2$1 million from Bruno Mars concert donated to Flint water crisishttp://progressnothingless.com/1-million-from-bruno-mars-concert-donated-to-flint-water-crisis/
Mon, 14 Aug 2017 10:45:35 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4595Singer Bruno Mars announced at a concert in Auburn Hills, Michigan that he donated $1 million to aid the Flint water crisis. “Tonight I want to donate 1 million dollars, to our brothers and sisters in Flint, Michigan,” Mars announced to the crowd, which immediately erupted in approval. Mars, along with show promoter Live Nation, …

Singer Bruno Mars announced at a concert in Auburn Hills, Michigan that he donated $1 million to aid the Flint water crisis.

“Tonight I want to donate 1 million dollars, to our brothers and sisters in Flint, Michigan,” Mars announced to the crowd, which immediately erupted in approval. Mars, along with show promoter Live Nation, donated proceeds from the sold out show to the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.

The foundation gives immediate and ongoing support to the community of of Flint, Michigan, which continues to suffer from toxic water supplies that were tainted when the city switched its water system to the polluted Flint River in 2014.

“I’m very thankful to the Michigan audience for joining me in supporting this cause,” Mars said in a statement. “Ongoing challenges remain years later for Flint residents, and it’s important that we don’t forget our brothers and sisters affected by this disaster. As people, especially as Americans, we need to stand together to make sure something like this never happens in any community ever again.”

“With a grateful heart, the Community Foundation of Greater Flint is honored to accept this inspiring donation,” CFGF president and CEO Isaiah M. Oliver said in a statement. “We know Bruno Mars’ $1 million gift will be transformative to the children and families of Flint. He understands the issues faced by Flint citizens, and we are touched by his concern and generosity.”

]]>What to do when a ‘Game of Thrones’ sex scene starts and you’re in awkward companyhttp://progressnothingless.com/what-to-do-when-a-game-of-thrones-sex-scene-starts-and-youre-in-awkward-company/
Mon, 14 Aug 2017 08:46:36 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4592Warning: There might be a spoiler or two if you’ve never watched before or you’re very behind. It’s Game of Thrones season again and you know what that means! Blood, betrayal, and buttloads of sex. Despite (or possibly because of) all the sexy stuff that goes down in GoT, it really is a show pretty …

So instead of excusing yourself to go get a glass of water (what if you come back too late and miss a major plot point), here are some solutions to various uncomfortable sex scene situations.

1. The Death Deflect

Situation: You’re innocently watching with your sibling and then Cersei and Jaime start getting it on.

Solution: Start naming all your favorite character deaths. “Yo bro remember the time *insert name here* was killed by *insert cause of death here*? All that blood everywhere?! Haha yeah, I love violence. What was your favorite death?”

Image: giphy

2. The Doggy Distraction

Situation: You’re watching with your crush, whom you have yet to make a move on, when Grey Worm and Missandei (FINALLY) have sex.

Solution: Ask your crush if they’ve seen any good dog videos on the internet lately. Ease that sexual tension with something completely pure. Plus, it’s a great way to get to know them better.

3. The Hillary Coverup

Situation: You and your mom are bonding over your shared love of fantasy television when suddenly a sex scene breaks out and it’s super degrading towards women.

Solution: Ask your mom to Google “Which states did Hillary win in the Primaries”. If she asks why you can’t just do it, say you miss when she would read to you as a child.

4. The Small Talk Shutdown

Situation: You’re enjoying an episode with your pops when suddenly a very sensual sex scene ensues that ends with a man’s penis being chopped off.

Solution: Start coughing extremely loudly to gain the attention of your father. He’ll ask what is wrong and you can reply, “Allergy season.” Which will probably lead to a conversation about the crazy weather we’ve been having.

Image: giphy

Well Game of Thrones fans, happy to help!

And hey, if all else fails bring up the latest Trump tweet.

Actually, no, in that case it’s better to just watch the sex scene in silence.

]]>Big bucks and billy goats: Meeting the new influencers of Instagramhttp://progressnothingless.com/big-bucks-and-billy-goats-meeting-the-new-influencers-of-instagram/
Sun, 13 Aug 2017 12:36:23 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4568There's more to these kids than you think. Image: mashable composite/the riley farm rescue/puget sound goat rescue Theodore is a goat and a hero. But if you’re one of his 6,816 followers on the Riley Farm Rescue Instagram account, you already knew that. He recently helped save another goat, Clarabelle, when she got stuck on …

Theodore is a goat and a hero. But if you’re one of his 6,816 followers on the Riley Farm Rescue Instagram account, you already knew that.

He recently helped save another goat, Clarabelle, when she got stuck on the wrong side of a fence by running up to the owner’s house screaming for help.

His feat was praised by his followers online. “Such a great goat,” one commented. “This doesn’t surprise me at all,” another remarked. “Humans are the slow ones in the fields of kindness, intelligence, compassion and intuition.”

Theodore is a bone fide internet star, and he’s not alone. His account, along with the likes of Puget Sound Goat Rescue and Goats Gone Grazing Acres, is just one of many featuring goats and their escapades that have captured hearts worldwide.

Adorable photos are hard work

For starters, goats can be really difficult photo subjects, as Sarah Klapstein, who helps run the Instagram account for Puget Sound Goat Rescue in Washington state, reveals.

“They love to run right up to the camera or be underfoot at all times.”

“They love to run right up to the camera or be underfoot at all times so it’s often hard to photograph them,” she said.Some, however, are “total hams” for the camera which is pretty obvious once you start scrolling.

That sentiment is echoed by Marla Riley, founder of The Riley Farm Rescue. Followers of the farm’s page fawn over the goats Theodore, Clarabelle, Winston and Oliver, who all have unique, “silly, lovable personalities.” Photos of Theodore and Clarabelle together especially tug at the heartstrings the two are affectionately called “the happy couple.” Riley said they are “for sure” a bonded pair, and always need to be around each other. They’ll even call out to one another when they’re separated.

Self-described “crazy goat lady” Jessi Pottebaum, meanwhile, owns a goat farm and runs the Instagram account Goats Gone Grazing Acres, which has around 32,000 followers keeping up with her farm’s 34 goats. She said her goats have become used to her being around, which makes it easier for her to capture photos of them playing or dressing up in costumes.

“She gets sassier by the minute.”

On Goats Gone Grazing Acres, you can also find snapshots of goats enjoying popsicles, or bouncing around. One of the goats, Poundcake, appears particularly playful in lots of shots.

“She gets sassier by the minute,” a recent post reads.

But the popularity of this trend has been both a blessing and a curse, according to Barbara Jamison, founder and director of the Puget Sound Goat Rescue.

A post shared by The Riley Farm Rescue (@therileyfarmrescue) on Jul 27, 2017 at 3:11am PDT

Owning a goat is even harder work

The online popularity of the goats has led to a surge in applications for adoptions, Jamison said, but many prospective goat owners don’t have the right setup. “We struggle constantly with trying to educate people on what they need to do,” she said. Followers see cute, funny videos of goats online and assume all goats act the same, which is resolutely not the case, she added.

Jamison started Puget Sound Goat Rescue in 2002, and each year the volunteer-run farm rescues more than 200 goats. Their Instagram page has nearly 50,000 followers, and tons of photos and videos of their lovable rescues relaxing in the sun, eating, and of course, jumping around.

But it isn’t all fun and games. It’s a commitment. “You cant just come home late one day,” Riley said. “[There’s] no room to screw up or be late ever.”

A post shared by @goats_gone_grazing_acres on Jul 20, 2017 at 5:18pm PDT

Jessi Pottebaum of Goats Gone Grazing Acres agrees. “I’m pretty sure that a lot of people think that I just sit out in the goat yard all day and let the kids play and sleep on my lap,” she said. “Yes, that is part of my job, but it’s a small part.”

“It’s a lot of work, but the smiles, laughter, and love that they bring make it so worth it,” she added. She and her husband were woefully unprepared to be goat owners, and she hopes anyone inspired to follow their footsteps does their research. “Don’t be like us … read books, visit farms, talk to farmers. There’s a lot to know. They’re not dogs,” she said.

“I have mixed feelings on the trend,” Puget Sound’s Klapstein says. Yes, it is great that people are often getting to see how personable and loving and fun goats are but it can also lead to misconceptions about goats like they are house pets, or you can have just one, or you can have them in your backyard.”

Real talk on life with goats

According to the American Goat Society, 15,000 square feet is the minimum space recommended for goats. Fencing is super important, too, and so is making sure that goats aren’t overcrowded in their living spaces.

Having the right fencing and proper shelter isn’t the only hard part, though. Just getting the goats is emotionally taxing, as many come from auctions where they’re left outside with no food or water all day.

“Its a lot of sadness, especially when you’re taking an animal from live auctions,” Riley from Riley Farm Rescue said. “They’re not in good condition.”

Klapstein and Jamison both pointed to the way that Puget Sound tries to show this less glamorous side of running a rescue on their Instagram account. They even sometimes post live video of rescues at slaughterhouses.

“I do try and share the not so glamorous side of rescue work on our Instagram from time to time,” Klapstein said. “The fight to save goats who are sick or who come to us in such poor condition, the heartbreak that we can’t save them all, what we see and experience at our slaughterhouse rescues, that it’s not all cute baby goats being bottle fed.”

A post shared by @goats_gone_grazing_acres on Jul 19, 2017 at 12:54pm PDT

All the goat owners are thankful for the attention their Instagram accounts have helped garner. Not only has it helped them find a place within the goat community, but it’s also helped them create a support system.

“The impact that social media, especially Instagram, has had on our rescue is amazing,” Klaptstein said. “Not only has it increased awareness about us and the work that we do, it has greatly increased our donor base.”

Pottebaum, like others, said she’s been able to connect with other farmers through Instagram. She’s also used Instagram a bit to sell farm merchandise, like t-shirts, and calendars. “Running a farm is expensive, so these are just a few of the ways we make a little extra money to feed all of those mouths,” she said.

A post shared by The Riley Farm Rescue (@therileyfarmrescue) on Jul 31, 2017 at 9:16am PDT

Riley said one of the benefits of being on Instagram has been the outpouring of support for her efforts at the rescue. Most recently, the rescue has been raising money for a mini-barn for the animals through the sale of items such as socks featuring Theodore and Clarabelle. They also recently raised money for Theodore when he had to undergo surgery for a urinary blockage.

“We dont break even ever, but we do it really because we just love animals,” Riley said.

So enjoy the hell out of this trend. Scroll, Like, and share away but think twice before you get your own goat.

]]>Whale breaches the water and lands on a snorkelerhttp://progressnothingless.com/whale-breaches-the-water-and-lands-on-a-snorkeler/
Sat, 12 Aug 2017 19:32:32 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4547A few snorkelers in Australia had an up-close encounter with a whale and her calf. Maybe a little too close. The snorkelers were diving off of Double Island Point in Queensland when someone on their boat spotted whales breaching nearby. Young whales can be somewhat unpredictable, so the two attempted to keep their distance. “As …

A few snorkelers in Australia had an up-close encounter with a whale and her calf. Maybe a little too close.

The snorkelers were diving off of Double Island Point in Queensland when someone on their boat spotted whales breaching nearby. Young whales can be somewhat unpredictable, so the two attempted to keep their distance.

“As soon as we saw the whales had a calf we immediately tried to get as far as possible knowing from previous experience that it’s best to keep your distance when whales have calfs because they’re so unpredictable,” one of the snorkelers wrote on YouTube.

Unfortunately, the whales came upon the group quickly, and just as they noticed, the young whale breached the water’s surface, landing on one of the snorkeler’s foot.

]]>Salma Hayek lent Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively a hand on family dinner nighthttp://progressnothingless.com/salma-hayek-lent-ryan-reynolds-and-blake-lively-a-hand-on-family-dinner-night/
Sat, 12 Aug 2017 17:26:27 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4544Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean when you’re invited to someone’s house for dinner, they don’t expect you to work. On Thursday, actress Salma Hayek posted a picture of herself on Instagram, showing off that she scored an invite to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s house for dinner. But she probably didn’t count on having …

]]>Just because you’re famous doesn’t mean when you’re invited to someone’s house for dinner, they don’t expect you to work.

On Thursday, actress Salma Hayek posted a picture of herself on Instagram, showing off that she scored an invite to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s house for dinner. But she probably didn’t count on having to cook and babysit.

In Reynold’s defense, parenting can be pretty exhausting. Sometimes you just have to let your fellow actors help you out whenever they can.

Though the pair will co-star in the upcoming movie The Hitman’s Body Guard, this isn’t the first time Hayek’s showed up in support of Reynolds. On Instagram last year, she posted a picture of herself posing with a Deadpool figure and congratulating Reynolds on his success with the Deadpool movie.

]]>This dating app for geeks wants you to swipe right on your ‘Star Wars’ loving soulmatehttp://progressnothingless.com/this-dating-app-for-geeks-wants-you-to-swipe-right-on-your-star-wars-loving-soulmate/
Fri, 11 Aug 2017 17:19:13 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4514Geek out and find love. Image: bob al-greene/mashable Does your ideal first date involve seeing the new Star Wars movie the second it comes out or maybe engaging in a little light cosplay? Well now there’s an app for that. Cuddli wants to help you meet and fall for your fellow geeks. It’s launching on …

Does your ideal first date involve seeing the new Star Wars movie the second it comes out or maybe engaging in a little light cosplay? Well now there’s an app for that.

Cuddli wants to help you meet and fall for your fellow geeks. It’s launching on iOS this week, though it’s been available on Android since last year and has already garnered a really positive response from its users.

So why exactly do geeks need their own dating platform?

Pinguino Kolb, one of the app’s founders, told Mashable that those who revel in fandom and comic culture dont always have the easiest time on more mainstream apps like Tinder. Other users, she says, dont understand the passion behind fandom or geekdom, and they can belittle it.

Image: cuddli

Cuddli is meant to be a space where you’re rewarded for your love of Comic Con or gaming rather than ridiculed. And theres something about the dedication of the geek community that makes this seem far more likely to find an audience than some of the other more specific apps that have hit the market in the past few years.

You don’t have to prove your nerdy credentials to join, so it’s far more inclusive than the purposefully exclusive apps like Inner Circle or The League. Cuddli also lets you put interest icons on your profiles to identify what, specifically, makes you geek out. Then when you see your matches, any shared interests are highlighted to make flipping through them faster.

Cuddli uses GPS matching (just like Tinder and many other apps), but there is no pending list. If someone adds you, you’re out of their sight until you add them back. That reduces the odds that anyone will creepily obsess over you or try to reach out without your consent. You also have to respond to existing match requests before you can start matching with new people.

Image: cuddli

If you end up hitting it off with someone and want to make it official, the app can be switched into couples mode. That allows you to keep chatting with each other (so all your romantic history isn’t lost), but it doesn’t let you match or chat with anyone else. That way you also know the other person isn’t keeping their options open.

As with any niche app, the key to its success will be getting enough people on board to give everyone a chance to find. Right now their biggest concentration of users are on the west coast (and in Spain, oddly enough), but its available globally.

Only time will tell if this revolutionizes the geek dating scene, but now at least you’ve got one more way to try to find your manga-loving match.

]]>This super strong wrap can fix (almost) everything that’s broken in your lifehttp://progressnothingless.com/this-super-strong-wrap-can-fix-almost-everything-thats-broken-in-your-life/
Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:10:37 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4511Image: fiberfix Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. Its hard being The Incredible Hulk. People always ask why youre green, the army keeps hunting you down, and its impossible to find purple shorts that actually fit. But most of all, you keep breaking stuff. …

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission.

Its hard being The Incredible Hulk. People always ask why youre green, the army keeps hunting you down, and its impossible to find purple shorts that actually fit. But most of all, you keep breaking stuff. And unlike other billionaire superheroes (cough, Bruce Wayne, cough) you cant afford to just go out and buy new things every time you lose your cool and go on a smashing rampage.

But there are some great supplies that can work miracles, like the FiberFix Repair Wrap: 3-Roll Bundle. This repair wrap is 100 times stronger than duct tape and lets you easily fix a multitude of things. From broom cracks to split pipes to snapped garden tools, FiberFix is the home improvement solution youve been waiting for.

All you have to do is slip on your gloves, soak the FiberFix Repair Wrap in water, apply it to any surface that needs repair, wait 10 minutes, and voil: your handyman work is complete. This bundle comes with three FiberFix rolls and all the gloves, sandpaper, and vinyl strips youll need to start repairing everything that’s broken in your life. (Okay, maybe not everything.)

]]>Droplets of water dancing in extreme slow motion look completely mesmerisinghttp://progressnothingless.com/droplets-of-water-dancing-in-extreme-slow-motion-look-completely-mesmerising/
Fri, 11 Aug 2017 12:54:24 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4508There are two types of Slow Mo Guys videos: the ones that involve Dan getting injured/drenched/covered in some unpleasant substance in slow motion, and the ones that involve some king of cool science stuff. And they’re just plain mesmerising to watch. The Chinese Spouting Bowl definitely falls into the latter category. SEE ALSO: Man escapes …

There are two types of Slow Mo Guys videos: the ones that involve Dan getting injured/drenched/covered in some unpleasant substance in slow motion, and the ones that involve some king of cool science stuff. And they’re just plain mesmerising to watch.

]]>Keep your keys organized and out of the way with this wallethttp://progressnothingless.com/keep-your-keys-organized-and-out-of-the-way-with-this-wallet/
Thu, 10 Aug 2017 20:58:07 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=4490Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. Lets face it: your key situation is out of control. Between house keys, work keys, car keys, and secret hideout keys, there are way too many door-openers in your pocket. Sure, you can put them all on a …

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission.

Lets face it: your key situation is out of control. Between house keys, work keys, car keys, and secret hideout keys, there are way too many door-openers in your pocket. Sure, you can put them all on a single carabiner or get some of those multi-colored key covers to differentiate them, but is this really the best you can do?

You deserve a sleek, sophisticated solution like the Orbitkey 2.0 with Multitool. This handy, stylish key wallet organizes up to seven regular keys and a car key and prevents them from jingling and scratching stuff. It also comes with a multi-tool that has a bottle opener, multi-size hex wrench, box cutter, flat-head screwdriver, and a flash drive. But the best part is that you’ll barely realize they’re there.

The Orbitkey is made of tightly woven water-resistant canvas coupled with leather reinforcement so its super durable. It also features an integrated locking mechanism thats highly adaptable, easy to use, and stays tight.

In the Tinder generation, casual sex is a mere swipe away. But fast-swiping hasn’t killed the romance of dating, nor has it replaced it with a casual hookup culture.

Turns out that friends-with-benefits relationships and one-night hookups are actually the least desired types of relationship sought on dating apps, according to the largest ever international sex and tech survey.

The study conducted by female health app Clue and the Kinsey Institute surveyed 140,000 women from a broad spectrum of sexual identities in 198 countries about the impact of technology in their sex lives, dating habits and sexual education.

30 percent of respondents said they used apps to find some form of sexual partner.

Image: clue app

Rather surprisingly, the results show that people seem to be more interested in finding love than finding lust. Out of a possible of five different types of relationships, more people wanted to find steady relationships over a fleeting fling.

The survey showed that a friends-with-benefits arrangement is the least sought-after relationship for dating app users. Only 8.1 percent of respondents said they’d used an app to find a friends-with-benefits relationship, where there’s “no romantic connection, but regular/frequent sex”. And, 10 percent said they’d been swiping for one-night stands or hookups.

Meanwhile, 15 percent of those surveyed said they used apps for long-term relationships and 14.9 percent said they’d been looking for short-term relationships, like a string of meetings or dates. And 11.5 percent have used dating apps for chatting and sexting with no real plan to meet up in person. Sounds a bit like breadcrumbing.

But is this study indicative of what most daters are looking for? Publicist and online dater Holly Forrest says she’s used dating apps to find friends-with-benefits in the past. “I’ve had a few successful friends with benefits situations come through Bumble which was fun,” says Forrest. She says in those situations it was all outlined before the first date and felt “contractual”.

She feels there’s a pretty dominant hookup culture on apps. “On dating apps it seems to be a sea full of one-night-wonders, rather than someone who is interested to get to know you as a person,” says Forrest.

PR manager Diana Villegas says it “really depends on where someone is in life”. “When I started using tinder I wasn’t looking for anything long-term. Afterwards that changed,” says Villegas. She has a point.

Online daters should take heart, nonetheless. Dating apps aren’t all about hookups and casual sex, and it looks like people are still out there looking for love.